Anyone Else Out There Rh Sensitized?

Updated on March 18, 2010
A.J. asks from College Station, TX
20 answers

I am just wondering if anyone has successfully carried a second baby after being sensitized to the rh factor in the blood.

Long story short: with my son, even though I did receive the shots to prevent it, I was sensitized anyway. I am rh negative, my son was rh positive and he bled out into my body through the umbilical cord so our blood mixed for at least 2 weeks before he was born by emergency c-section. My husband and I are considering having a baby (I am not married to my son's father anymore) but my DH does not know what blood type he is. I know that if he is rh negative also, I should not have any problems. But, if he is rh positive....

I guess I'd just like to hear from someone who has dealt with this before.

Thanks!

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So What Happened?

Thank you all for your answers and your condolences. I thank God for giving me peace about my son; I know he's in a better place, and I know there is nothing that I could have done differently. It was just Drew's time to go.

For those of you who wondered - the rh thing had *nothing* to do with my son having CP. I/we had what is called a fetal-maternal hemorrhage. The reason he had CP was because he was born severely anemic due to him bleeding out into me. The shortage of oxygen to his brain is what caused the brain injury (CP is just a term for a brain injury that happens before, during, or after birth). In my son's case, it happened before birth.

I plan on talking to an OB, here in the near future before I stop taking my BC pills. My husbands' doc prefers that we wait until then to do the blood typing; so that insurance will pay for it. We did ask, and unfortunately, his blood type isn't in his file.

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S.N.

answers from Dallas on

This is a question for a blood specialist..... You should probably call Carter Blood care and speak to a phlabotomist

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J.M.

answers from Dallas on

I am RH and have just lost my 6 week old to sids. I am so sorry for your loss.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.H.

answers from Dallas on

Hi A., I have RH factor & so does one of my daughters. I feel sure they gave you the rogam shots( not sure about the spelling) after your child birth. That will prevent complications with next pregnancy. if you're really concerned, go for a check up before you get pregnant & ask the doctor. They can also test you husband & give you shots while you're pregnant if nessecary. Try not to worry, things will be great. I had 2 daughters & they are both fine & my daughter that has RH has 4 children so don't be afraid to have more. The Doctors can take care of this for you. Good luck.

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Y.H.

answers from Dallas on

I am RH- also and I am not sure but I think you need him to not be RH-.Please check with your Dr. first this is something very serious to just take someone out there's advise.I'm very sorry for your lose.

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L.S.

answers from Dallas on

I am so sorry for your loss. I can not imagine ever losing a child. I am Rh neg. and my husband is Rh pos. I had the shots with my daughter and then had twin boys and had the shot. I didn't have any trouble either time. Have you spoken to the Dr. on what the chances are that it could happen again? Your husband needs to get checked before you start trying. Good luck and God Bless. L.

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C.B.

answers from Dallas on

I am RH negative and my husband is positive. We had our first child 7 years ago and he was negative like me. For our second pregnancy I had the Rogam (sp?) shot around 24 weeks and then after the birth of the baby, who ended up being positive like my husband.The negative factor is like being left-handed--we are the minority. You rhusband should definitely get tested. If you have the same OB-Gyn as last time then you, your husband, and doctor should sit down together, review your history and determine a course of action. If you do not have the same doctor you need to contact the previous one and request that a copy of your file be sent to your new doctor. Even if there is a fee for this (like $15 or less) it is worth it so that your new doctor has ALL of your history with the last pregnancy and the complications. Chances are with the shots everything will be fine.

I am so sorry for the loss of your first child. I hope you will be blessed with another opportunity to have a child.

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C.S.

answers from Dallas on

I am rh negative. My first pregnancy did not work out, however, after that, I did receive a shot each time(I don't remember if it was before and after or just after my babies were born). I want to let you know that after the first pregnancy, my five pregnancies thereafter were wonderful. :) My husband and I are blessed with five wonderful boys! They are ages 3 years to 11 years! Good luck and may God bless you and your family. Please keep us posted. C. :)

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D.P.

answers from Dallas on

I found this out after my first miscarriage. I too am RH neg.
I had 2 shots 1 after the misscarriage and the next after my daughter was born. My daughter is neg and my son is positive. I had no trouble with either.
They are now 20 and 18.
God Bless.
D.

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K.W.

answers from Dallas on

Hello A., I want to give you my condolences for losing your child. I cannot imagine the hurt. I lost 3 brothers & my mother went crazy. she died at 51 years of age from a broken heart. Now to the rh- thing I am too rh- but at the time i had my first child in 1973 no one knew. I was so very sick .I had convulsions & we both almost died. I did get the rhogam shot after my sons birth. I did receive some kind of shots too after my sons birth. They hurt very bad. I was only 16 years old so i don't remember the name of the shots. I know it was to keep my blood pressure down. I gave birth for a 2nd time in 1975. I had no problems i wasn't even too sick during pregnancy. From reading what the other mothers have said i think there is a connection to our babies being sick from our being rh-. My daughter is rh- also. I would monitor myself very closely & no matter how big or smalll a problem may seem get it checked out! I didn't at the time. Everyone thought i was just a big baby & momma's girl, & we both almost died. My son's immune sysyem is very poorly & he is resistant to antibiotics.Everyone thought he was a down syndrome baby at first but he is fine now. Down syndrome comes from rh-. I am not trying to scare you just telling you what i know. I believe you & baby will be just fine. Please take care of your self. "God" bless you & babies! P.S. Do you have anyone to talk to about Drew?

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J.O.

answers from Abilene on

Your DH should have a test to determine what his type is. I am RH- and the first thing my doctor did was to determine my husbands. Even though his army dog tags said A+ the doctor rechecked. He is A+, but we did not have any problems with our two girls.

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H.S.

answers from Dallas on

I am RH Negitive and had my 2 child 3 yr ago she is just fine I did have the rogam shot and had her natural.
H.

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M.C.

answers from Dallas on

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J.F.

answers from Phoenix on

Join us at the RhNegativeRegistry.com for medical studies, scientific research, patents, information and membership!

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E.J.

answers from Dallas on

I, too, am Rh negative and my husband has B positive blood. I have had two children and both times my OB gave me a Rhogam shot at 28 weeks and then again 24 hours after delivery. Both children are B positive. I agree that you need to start talking now to your OB or find an OB that takes Rh seriously (it can be fatal for both baby and mom) and have your husband tested. I am so sorry for the loss of your son and cannot imagine the range of emotions you are feeling right now. I have known friends whose children were born with cerebral palsy and it was usually from a brain bleed which is very rare and probably not necessarily related to your blood type.
May God bless you and your family.

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K.H.

answers from Dallas on

Hello A., First, I am sorry for the loss of your son. God be with you as you deal with it.
I am rh neg and have had 4 children, only my 2nd son is also rh neg. I had shots each time although each time the time frame they used to administer the shots were different. If any blood mixed, they never told me, although with one pregnancy they gave me a shot during and another shot after delivery and said that it was an additional measure "in case" any blood mixed during delivery. All my kids were born healthy. Have you spoken to the dr about your concerns? If not, you should do so and maybe ask more than one dr so that you will be reassured if they all have similar answers. It's simple for your DH to go into your family physician and get his blood typed. It's possible they already know if he's ever had to have blood work done for any check-ups.
Best wishes for you and I hope you do have another baby!

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G.H.

answers from Dallas on

to tina : your response wasnt just rude, it was also ignorant!! read up on cerebral palsy darlin!

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S.A.

answers from Dallas on

I am rh neg and both my sons are +. My first was also born emergency c-section, I don't think any of his blood mixed with mine. However,the shot you get in the hospital after you give birth is made for you. They take blood and see how many of the baby's blood cells are in yours if any and give you a dose accordingly. They have come a long way with rh factor. I was worried when I got pregnant with my 2nd child but it worked out great. You get one at 28weeks and after birth. If you got that one you should be fine.

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T.M.

answers from Dallas on

I have deleted my comment!

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S.T.

answers from Dallas on

Hi A.,

They have a shot they give you that takes care of the difference now. You and your husband will just need to go in together and he'll get tested and you will too. The shot is no big deal. I had it when I had my second child in 1973 (yes they even had it then) with no problems. It usually does not effect the 1st born.

I'm so sorry about your loss of Drew. What a heartache to lose a child.

I am RH negative as well and could have had more children had we chosen to do so. The shot was called Rhogam at that time. I may have misspelled it.

Sincerely,

Sandy

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M.O.

answers from Amarillo on

A.,

I also carry the anti-D antibody. I became sensitized also with my first one but did not receive the rhogam shot until after the birth of my first one.

My second pregancy had to be monitored by specialists. I would go and have sonagrams done to make sure the baby was not becoming anemic. I had my first intr-uteral transfusion at 26 weeks. They are not easy. First, you are prepped with either an epidural or spinal. They have to be prepared to deliver if anything goes wrong. I had three of these and they all went well except the last one. We delivered by C-section at 31 weeks our goal was to make it to 32 weeks.

My doctors were wonderful. I went to Dr. Van Hook and Dr. Holms at Texas Tech here in Amarillo. Dr. Van Hook is a pioneer in the intra-uteral transfusions.

Since we knew we would deliver early, I had steroid shots during my pregnancy. He was 2 months early and weighed 4 lbs. He was in NICU for a month.

The important thing is is to have a great doctor and to start transfusions before the baby becomes anemic. It was a very trying time because of how often I had to go to the doctor. My transfusions were usually done before the week-end. I stayed overnight but they were considered day surgery.

My son is now 2 1/2 years old, and is hell on wheels. We have not seen any problems with him. He is a little smaller than most kids his age, but other than that he is very healthy.

A little about me:

I am a working mom of 2 wonderful boys; a 7 yo and a 2 1/2 yo., and a good husband.

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